Fat 5s like new

[aimre]

N e one know what i should use to polish my fat fives... like mirror finish styles??

Also, where do i get some scratches removed?

[bennjamin]

brasso works well.....only really a temporary thing on external metal surfaces tho - anyone else ?

[panda[cRx]]

a but of a hijack but what size are fat fives? (14 or 15?) anyone know their weight and usual selling price?

thx

back on topic h22a accord will be enlightening us with a cleaning thread in the near future

[aimre]

16lbs or 7.sumtin kg
15 inch

is there n e places that fix rims?

[mikes94]

I got my "fat fives" polished at a mag re-finishing shop for about 50 bucks each. The rims were corroding under the clear-coat (hint you have to remove this before you can polish) and the shop stripped them and mirror finished (which removes minor scratches).

In my opinion you will get a much better finish taking it to a specialist than trying yourself.

Personally I prefer the standard machined finish, but had to to get rid of the corrosion. Shame you weren't in Adelaide ... I'd swap you for mine!!

Mike

[J-MuN]

does this re-finishing polishing actually make a difference?.. i've used good ol "autosol" and doesnt really work a treat.. seems to do ok, but not quite the "back to new" look...

[flipmods]

does this re-finishing polishing actually make a difference?.. i've used good ol "autosol" and doesnt really work a treat.. seems to do ok, but not quite the "back to new" look...

You can't use brasso unless you take off the clear coat also need to remove the bumpy surface on the alloy if you want a mirror finish big job better left for proffessionals.

[mikes94]

I think the key if you're gonna use something like autosol or brasso or whatever is to remove the clearcoat first. Otherwise you're polishing the clearcoat not the alloy wheel.

If I could do it all over again I'd strip the clearcoat with paint stripper then use a metal polish to try and remove the corrosion - this should bring it back to the standard "machined" look. I believe the bare alloy will oxidise eventually (which is why the clearcoat is there) so a re-polish every so often is likely required.

If the mirror-finish look is what you're after then I think it would take a while to remove the machining marks. I think some guys in the states did it themselves with wet sanding - I think I'd prefer to pay someone to do it properly!!

Mike

[mikes94]

Beat me to it flipmods!!

[aimre]

Ok, coz mines oxidizing under the clear coat and has some scratches, so i need cl3ar coat removed and some scratches fixed up

[Steer^Gimic]

i went and bought a backing plate for a drill and a woolen pad. bit of autosol buffed into the alloy with some speed..you would be surprised at the result.
but yeh, correct way is to remove clear first. may be a diy taking it off, but re applying clear isnt easy